Clarke Jr. (C.J.) was born to Sally Spectra and Clarke Garrison. Not long after C.J.'s birth, Clarke left town, not to return for several years.

C.J. grew into a wisecracking boy in his early teens, having a cynical view on the world and starting a food fight with Brooke and Eric Forrester's son Rick, who was close to his age. His father returned in 1996; C.J.'s initial resentment ceased when Clarke rescued him from kidnappers.

About 16 years later, C.J. and Rick were closer to friends than enemies. They each pursued Rick's babysitter, Amber Moore, which led to a drag race that nearly killed Rick. C.J. spent most of 1998 and 1999 listening to Amber's personal problems as she became pregnant and married Rick. He also developed a crush on Kimberly Fairchild, the half-sister of his half-sister Macy. They went on a few dates but she wasn't as interested as he was.

Around this time Forrester and Spectra were in a heated conflict over the latest fashion show. C.J. planned to sabotage the model wearing Forrester's final outfit of the night. Unbeknownst to him, the model was Kimberly. The lower half of her dress was ripped off by a nail, leaving her in her panties in front of the press. C.J. was guilt-ridden, but the truth never came out.

Amber was in the middle of a very complicated series of lies about the paternity of her son, Eric Jr. The baby's natural mother, her cousin Becky Moore, had just arrived in town. To keep her busy, Amber set her up with C.J.

A few months later, Becky had shed her white trash roots for a makeover, as well as getting her son back from Amber. C.J. spent a great deal of time with her. They fell in love quickly, their relationship helped C.J. make the final transition from wisecracking boy to mature, thoughtful man. Unfortunately, Becky was dying of pancreatic cancer. Amber tried to keep the cancer a secret from Becky and everyone else, but broke down and eventually told C.J.

Instead of telling her, he proposed marriage, wanting to make her final weeks happy. Becky learned of her cancer minutes before the wedding, but married C.J. anyway. She died soon after, surrounded by those she loved.

Becky wanted C.J. to raise Eric, Jr. with Amber. They shared an apartment. Around this time, C.J.'s sister Macy died in a car accident. He inherited her coffee house, Insomnia.

Shortly after Macy's death, Amber had a party at their apartment and she and C.J. were mistakenly arrested for drug possession. Child Protective Services took the baby away, letting the child live with Rick. The Forresters got a court order to force Amber and Eric Jr. to move in with them. Amber persuaded them to let C.J. move in as well. C.J. won temporary custody, allowing the three to move back to their old apartment. He and Amber made plans to marry, since he had fallen in love with her and she admitted to having feelings for him.

The Forresters were determined to stop the wedding. Rick managed to track down Deacon Sharpe, Eric Jr.'s biological father, who then interrupted the ceremony to announce Eric Jr. was his son.

While C.J. believed he and Amber still had a future together, Rick and Stephanie repeatedly urged Amber to realize her best chance for custody was with Rick. A few weeks later, Amber agreed to move back in with Rick. She broke the news to C.J. before a surprise romantic dinner he'd planned for them at Insomnia.

C.J. fell out of the storyline for some time but came back to town in the spring of 2002. He had a huge chip on his shoulder for everyone, especially the Forresters. He also began running the coffee shop, Insomnia again. He was very mean to Bridget Forrester when she came into the coffee shop looking for a job. Bridget eventually wore C.J. down until he eventually offered her a job and a place to stay, right next door to him.

Bridget and C.J. began dating, but not seriously. C.J. was very supportive when Bridget entered medical school. It was there she met Mark MacClaine, her med school mentor. C.J. sensed Mark's intentions toward Bridget were not just professional and became jealous of him. After a few months, Mark resigned as Bridget's mentor and began to date her. C.J. was not pleased when Clarke informed him that Mark was his long lost half-brother. In the end, neither brother got the girl.

When Sally suffered a heart attack, C.J. was reunited with his presumed dead sister, Macy. Macy later fell in love with and married Deacon Sharpe but C.J. refused to give his blessing to the union based upon Deacon's history with Bridget and Becky.

After Macy's death, Darla and Thorne married. C.J. attended their wedding but hasn't been involved in the storyline since.